It is a situation we have all found ourselves in at one time or another: our phone rings and up pops an unknown phone number. Do we answer it and hope it is someone we know calling from an unknown number or do we let it go to voice mail and find out later? If you are tired of having to make this decision multiple times per day, there is an alternative. A reverse phone number trace is a low cost and effective way to figure out the name associated with an unrecognized phone number, including cell phone numbers, business numbers and landlines.

Even though this technology is still in its infancy, it is remarkably effective. Standing alone as the first ever comprehensive catalogue of cell phone numbers, a reverse phone number lookup has many common uses. Currently, users say that they perform reverse lookups to track down the identity of telemarketers so that they can have their numbers removed once and for all. This technology is also quite useful if you are being bothered by a prank caller or obscene caller, and, of course, this service provides the best call screening possible.

When you consider just how useful these new types of searches are, it is surprising to learn just how cost effective they really are. If you are attached to your cell phone throughout the day and you simply don’t have time to talk to anyone that is calling you about frivolous things, a series of reverse phone number lookups can act like your own professional answering service, weeding out unwanted and unnecessary calls from the ones you really need. Most people would pay hundreds of dollars per year for such a service, but reverse number searches cost significantly less.

The magic powering these searches is due in large part to private record information. Unlike a regular, old fashioned search engine that simply scans the information on the Internet, a reverse phone number search queries private databases dedicated to storing large amounts of cell phone data. When a user searches a 10-digit phone number through a reverse phone directory, the search function sifts through the database until it finds a match for the queried number. The phone owner’s first and last name is then compiled onto an organized PDF file and made available to the user.

The technology is fairly simple to use and can be purchased for $15-20 per search. For more long-term users, year-long memberships are often offered between $35-40.